Court of Justice

John Hayes: To ask the Solicitor General what the cost was of UK participation in the Commission case against the Hellenic Republic in Court of Justice Cases C-475/01 as detailed in OJ C300 volume 47 of 4 December; and what form such participation took.

Harriet Harman: The UK's participation in Case C-475/01 was limited to applying to the European Court of Justice for leave to intervene, which was granted. After reviewing the pleadings, the UK decided not to pursue the intervention because it had nothing to add to the Commission's case. The UK did not therefore submit a statement of intervention or attend the hearing.
	In accordance with the Court's Rules of Procedure (Article 69(4)), an intervening member state bears its own costs of intervention. Aside from the time spent by departmental officials in considering the pleadings and applying for leave to intervene, the only costs incurred were the costs of translating the pleadings from Greek to English, which were approximately £2,150.

CPS Direct

Vera Baird: To ask the Solicitor General in how many Crown Prosecution Service areas Crown Prosecution Service Direct is fully operational.

Harriet Harman: There are currently 14 Local Criminal Justice Board Areas who have become subject to the statutory charging scheme and are therefore delivering out of hours legal advice and charging decisions to the police through CPS Direct. These are:
	West Yorkshire and Kent from 17 May 2004;
	South Yorkshire from 24 May 2004;
	Cleveland from 4 June 2004;
	Lancashire from 15 June 2004;
	Northumbria from 28 June 2004;
	Avon and Somerset, and Nottinghamshire from 5 July 2004;
	Humberside from 31 August 2004;
	Greater Manchester from 6 September 2004;
	Thames Valley from 14 September 2004;
	Merseyside from 4 October 2004;
	London from 1 November 2004; and
	West Midlands from 9 November 2004.

CPS Direct

Vera Baird: To ask the Solicitor General what her assessment is of the impact of Crown Prosecution Service Direct on (a) the level of convictions, (b) the numbers of guilty pleas and (c) the numbers of cracked trials in 2004.

Harriet Harman: CPS Direct is currently operating in the 14 Criminal Justice Areas that have implemented statutory charging.
	The following table records the conviction and guilty plea rate of cases finalised in November 2004 that have been subject to statutory charging arrangements ("All") and those that have involved CPS Direct prosecutors ("CPS Direct").
	
		Percentage
		
			  Guilty plea rate Conviction rate 
			  Magistrates Crown Magistrates Crown 
		
		
			 All 69.1 65.3 76.7 76.9 
			 CPS Direct 73.1 77.7 79.0 84.8 
		
	
	The data available on cracked trials does not distinguish between all cases and those receiving advice through CPS Direct.

CPS Prosecutions

David Amess: To ask the Solicitor General what documents the Crown Prosecution Service requires to receive before making a decision to prosecute.

Harriet Harman: Under the new early advice and charging arrangements, the police may seek the opinion of a Crown Prosecution Service duty prosecutor at any stage in the proceedings. No formal documentation is required for the early stages of an investigation, though the police are encouraged to provide copies of any documentation they have. For the formal decision to commence proceedings, usually by the preferment of a charge, the police are required to provide jointly agreed documentation set out in a Manual of Guidance and in Guidance issued by the Director of Public Prosecutions for prosecutors making charging decisions.
	The documents which accompany a police officer's report will include key witness statements and other relevant material such as video recordings, an account of the defendant's interview, a record of the defendant's previous convictions, if any, and any material that would undermine the prosecution's case or assist the defence.

CPS/Police Co-operation

David Amess: To ask the Solicitor General if she will make a statement on the pilot scheme for joint working between the Crown Prosecution Service and the police in Southend.

Harriet Harman: The joint Crown Prosecution Service/police criminal justice unit was opened in Southend Police Station in November 2000. Charging Prosecutors at the Station now provide advice to the police both pre-charge and at the charging stage. When required they also provide advice to police officers during their investigation into allegations of crime.
	The police and CPS also work together on effective trial management and supporting witnesses to give their evidence through No Witness No Justice.

Sir Roy Meadows

William Cash: To ask the Solicitor General what payment was made to Sir Roy Meadows as an expert witness in the case of R. v. Cannings; by whom; and on whose behalf.

Harriet Harman: The payment made by the Crown Prosecution Service to Sir Roy Meadow for his attendance at court and attendance at conferences was £3,462.15. Wiltshire Constabulary made payments to Sir Roy Meadows in relation to preparation work totalling £4,730.

Taskforces

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Solicitor General how much was spent by her Department in each year since 1997 on taskforces and similar bodies.

Harriet Harman: Neither the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), nor the Serious Fraud Office have spent any money on taskforces or similar bodies since 1997. In 1999 the Legal Secretariat to the Law Officers spent a total of £210,000 on a review which led to the establishment of a separate and independent Inspectorate for the CPS.

Working Time Regulations

Graham Brady: To ask the Solicitor-General how many officials working in ministerial private offices in the Department have worked more than a 48-hour week at any time in the last 12 months for which figures are available; how many of those had signed a waiver under working time regulations; and what percentage these figures represented of the total in each case.

Harriet Harman: The working time regulations provide workers with the protection of a limit of an average of 48 hours a week working time. This is not an absolute cap of 48 hours in any one week. This average is normally calculated over a 17-week reference period, although this can be longer in certain situations (26 weeks) and can be extended by agreement (up to 52 weeks). Workers may choose to work more than 48 h ours per week over this reference period by signing an opt-out agreement, but employers cannot force a worker to sign an opt-out, and workers cannot be subjected to detriment for refusing to sign an opt-out. In the last 12 months four officials working in the combined Private Office for the Law Officers have worked more than a 48 hour week on occasions. This represents 100 per cent. of the total number of permanent staff in the office.
	None of these staff have signed a waiver under the working time regulations, but are now being invited to consider doing so. The working hours of Private Office staff are kept under regular review.

A3

Virginia Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if the hon. Member for Plymouth, Devonport will respond to the points raised by the right hon. Member for South-West Surrey in the Christmas Adjournment Debate on 21 December, Official Report, columns 2090–92, concerning the A3 at Hindhead.

David Jamieson: I wrote to the right hon. Member for South-West Surrey on 13 January addressing these points.

Blackwall Tunnel

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what the original projected cost was of the refurbishment of the Blackwall Tunnel;
	(2)  what the start date was of the refurbishment process for the Blackwall Tunnel;
	(3)  when he expects the refurbishment of the Blackwall Tunnel to be completed;
	(4)  what the original estimate was for the time to be taken refurbishing the Blackwall Tunnel;
	(5)  how many (a) contractors and (b) sub-contractors are involved in the refurbishment of the Blackwall Tunnel;
	(6)  what the estimated cost is of the refurbishment of the Blackwall Tunnel;
	(7)  for how many hours per (a) week, (b) month and (c) year on average the Blackwall Tunnel was (i) closed and (ii) partially closed over the last five years;
	(8)  what estimate his Department made of the cost to the UK economy of the (a) closure and (b) partial closure of the Blackwall Tunnel;
	(9)  what environmental impact study has been carried out on the effects of the (a) closure and (b) partial closure of the Blackwall Tunnel;
	(10)  what steps his Department is taking to provide alternative routes for traffic that is unable to use the Blackwall Tunnel.

David Jamieson: The Blackwall Tunnel forms part of the Greater London Authority Road Network—now known as the Transport for London Road Network—and is the responsibility of the Mayor and Transport for London. Therefore, any works, including refurbishment, on that stretch of road are a matter for them. Information about the Blackwall Tunnel and its refurbishment can be obtained from:
	Keith Oilier
	Director of Street Management Transport for London Windsor House 42–50 Victoria Street London SW1H OTL

Departmental Expenditure

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the equipment leasing arrangements entered into by his Department in each of the last two years; and what the cost is to public funds in each case.

Charlotte Atkins: The information for the central Department (DfT (c) ) and its agencies is set out in the table.
	
		
			   Costs (£) 
			  Equipment 2002–03 2003–04 Additional information 
		
		
			 DfT(C) Photocopying equipment 55,799.60 64,698.60 DfT leases photocopying equipment (including multifunctional devices) from two suppliers via a framework contract let in 1997. This contract expired on 31 October 2004 and the Department has now switched to using similar contracts put in place by the Office of Government Commerce buying. solutions on 1 April 2004. 
			 Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency Photocopying equipment 195,481.60 190,778.20 The leasing of this equipment is split on a UK-wide basis between Konica and Energy. 
			  Despatch mailers 108,753 November 2003 to October 2008. Lease of two mailers from IBM. 
			  
			 Marine and Coastguard Agency Photocopying equipment 92,473.93 89,608.89 MCA leased photocopying equipment from four suppliers via a DfT contract, which expired 31 October 2004. From 1 January 2004 the MCA has now switched to using similar contracts put in place by the Office of Government Commerce. 
			   
			 Vehicle and Operator Services Agency Photocopying equipment 226,459.45 205,809.27 VOSA leases photocopying equipment (including multi-functional devices) from one supplier (IKON) via the DfT framework contract let in 1997. 
			   
			 Highways Agency Multi-functional devices Cost per financial year not available 25 on three-year lease from 2004–07 at a total cost of £82,780 per annum. 
			  Photocopying equipment Cost per financial year not  available Eight on three year lease from 2002–05 at a total cost of £48,000 per annum. 
			  Vehicle Cost per financial year not available One on three-year lease from 2003–06 at a cost of £3,128 per annum. 
			  Vending machines Cost per financial year not available Two on three-year lease from 2003–06 at a total cost of £2,032 per annum. 
			  
			 Vehicle Certification Agency Photocopiers 7,402.94 8,240.93 VCA leases photocopying equipment from two suppliers (Xerox and Danka) via the DfT framework contract let in 1997. 
			  Snack machine 834.13 625.65 Snack Machine leased from local supplier Citrus Vending until 26 November 2004. 
			  
			 Driving Standards Agency Photocopiers 32,479 34,452 DSA leases photocopiers and a small number of fax machines from several suppliers, mainly using Government framework contracts. 
			  Fax machines 1,021 1,021 DSA leases photocopiers and a small number of fax machines from several suppliers, mainly using Government framework contracts.

Roads

Richard Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the projected cost is for the proposed scheme to upgrade the section of the A11 between the Fiveways Roundabout at Barton Mills in Suffolk and Thetford.

David Jamieson: The scheme budget costs for the A11 Fiveways to Thetford Improvement is currently £60 million. This scheme has been remitted for regional priority setting and that the Highways Agency will be continuing to progress the preparation of the scheme to proceed to construction in 2008–0. The Agency will review the scheme costs as part of that process.

Shipping

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what powers exist to regulate shipping movements within UK territorial waters; and who may exercise these powers.

David Jamieson: holding answer 13 January 2005
	The Secretary of State's statutory powers of intervention to regulate shipping in UK territorial waters can be found in Schedule 3A of the Merchant Shipping Act 1995, the Marine Safety Act 2003 which amends the 1995 Act and extends his powers, and the Dangerous Vessels Act 1985.
	This gives the Secretary of State for Transport the function of giving direction for, or co-ordinating, measures to reduce risks to life or safety of a ship or ships or prevent, reduce and minimise the effects of marine pollution. The Secretary of State's Representative (SOSREP), or an officer of the Department's Maritime and Coastguard Agency acting on SOSREP's behalf, may exercise these functions, including the Secretary of State's intervention powers.
	The UK implements the Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea, which, among other things, obliges ships to comply with Traffic Separation Schemes, as exists in the English Channel, which have been adopted by the International Maritime Organization (IMO). Enforcement of these requirements is carried out by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency. Other recommendatory routeing measures, for example Areas to be Avoided and Precautionary Areas, are in place to assist safe navigation around the shores of the UK.
	Any action taken by the UK to regulate shipping movements must necessarily be consistent with international law, most particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

Trams

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will bring forward proposals to develop a tram network that would cover the Greater London area in co-operation with London local authorities and the Greater London assembly; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: Following the creation of the Greater London authority., Transport for London (TfL), under the Mayor, is responsible for drawing up London's transport strategy and the development of tram schemes in London.

Divisions

John Mann: To ask the Leader of the House what the average number of hon. Members taking part in Divisions at sittings on Fridays has been since June 2001.

Peter Hain: The average number of hon. Members voting in divisions on a Friday since June 2001 is 68.

Pre-legislative Scrutiny

Oliver Heald: To ask the Leader of the House how many (a) written and (b) oral submissions of evidence were made to each pre-legislative scrutiny committee held since 1997; and how many were submitted by (i) individuals, (ii) voluntary sector groups, (iii) statutory sector organisations, (iv) employers and (v) employer organisations.

Peter Hain: Pre-legislative scrutiny has been undertaken by a variety of different committees, in both Houses. A helpful list is provided in the Library's Standard Note on pre-legislative scrutiny (SN/PC/2822, available on the internet at http://www.parliament.uk/works/notes on parliament and constitution.cfm.)
	The information requested is obtainable from the published reports of these Committees, but could be collated only at disproportionate cost. The annual Sessional Return also provides relevant information, though not categorised in the form requested.

Travel Costs

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what the total travel costs to his Department have been for (a) Ministers, (b) special advisers and (c) officials for each year since 1997.

Anne McGuire: holding answer 9 December 2004
	The Scotland Office was established on 1 July 1999.
	Since 1999 the Government have published, on an annual basis, the total costs of all ministerial overseas travel and a list of all visits by Cabinet Ministers costing in excess of £500. Copies of the lists are available in the Library of the House. The travel costs of special advisers who accompany their Minister overseas are included in the annual list of overseas travel by Cabinet Ministers.
	Since 1 July 1999, the other travel costs by the Scotland Office were:
	
		
			  £ 
			  1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 1 
		
		
			 Ministers 27,783 36,843 30,570 19,788 1,155 
			 Special Advisers 10,246 20,700 33,888 37,672 16,841 
			 Officials 108,990 188,930 219,876 241,629 181,872 
			 Total 147,019 246,473 284,334 290,089 199,868 
		
	
	(1) Since June 2003, part of the travel costs of the Secretary of State have been met by the Department of Transport.
	All ministerial travel is undertaken fully in accordance with the rules set out in the "Ministerial Code" and "Travel by Ministers" and all official travel is undertaken in accordance with the rules contained in the Civil Service Management Code, copies of which are available in the Library of the House.

Departmental Entertainment Costs

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how much has been spent on entertainment by his Department in each year since 1997, broken down by (a) food, (b) alcohol, (c) staff and (d) accommodation.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: Figures for entertainment within administration costs budgets for years for which information is readily available are shown as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 1996–97 10,000 
			 1997–98 24,000 
			 1998–99 43,000 
			 1999–2000 62,000 
			 2000–01 48,000 
			 2001–02 55,000 
			 2002–03 82,000 
			 2003–04 219,000 
		
	
	The figures for entertainment include working breakfasts and lunches, refreshments at meetings and official entertainment. It is not possible to disaggregate specific entertainment costs relating to food, alcohol, staff and accommodation without incurring a disproportionate cost.
	All entertainment is made in accordance with published departmental guidance on financial procedures and propriety, based on principles set out in Government Accounting.
	In 2903–04 DFID introduced new procedures to draw together administration costs, including those entertainment costs which had previously been recorded on country programme budgets. These changes have improved transparency and management of administration costs, but mean that figures from 2003–04 now include entertainment costs that were previously funded by country programmes and as a result are not comparable with earlier years.

Departmental Expenditure

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the running costs of the Department were in each year since 1997, broken down by (a) electricity, (b) water, (c) gas, (d) telephones, (e) mobile telephones and (f) televisions.

Hilary Benn: Figures for UK based offices for electricity, water, gas and telephone costs within administration budgets for years for which information is readily available are shown as follows.
	
		
			£ 
			  2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 
		
		
			 Electricity 215,537 260,566 290,160 
			 Water 71,408 37,716 44,409 
			 Gas 311,571 320,792 355,858 
			 Telephones 706,000 586,000 592,000 
		
	
	Information for earlier years is not readily available and in some cases will no longer be held also it is not possible to disaggregate separate costs for mobile phones or televisions without incurring a disproportionate cost.

Tsunami Relief

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps are being taken to ascertain the humanitarian situation in Burma following the Asian tsunami disaster; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: At the onset of the disaster, a Tsunami Assistance Co-ordination Group, composed of international NGOs, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and UN agencies and chaired by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) was established in Burma. Over the next 10 days, Co-ordination Group members undertook a series of assessment and verification missions—to the Rakhine Coast, the Irrawady Delta and the southern coast including the most populated islands of the Myeik archipelago and the islands off Kawthaung around Lampi Island. On 6 January 2005, the group met to consolidate the findings of the different assessment and verification missions. It concluded that Burma had been largely spared from the destructive forces of the earthquake and subsequent tsunami, and that initial emergency needs had been met. The group's assessment was a death toll of 60 to 80, and an estimated longer-term affected population of 10,000 to 15,000 (of whom 5,000 to 7,000 were directly affected). Assessment of longer-term reconstruction and rehabilitation needs is currently ongoing.

Fuel Poverty

Oliver Letwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions she has had with the (a) Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the (b) Secretary of State for Work and Pensions about (i) fuel poverty, (ii) energy efficiency and the (iii) take-up of energy-related benefits.

Mike O'Brien: There is regular contact between the Departments on fuel poverty related issues, energy efficiency and the take up of energy-related benefits. We also work closely with other interested Departments including the Department of Work and Pensions with a view to assisting the fuel poor.

Disabled Staff

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many of the staff employed by his Department have a declared disability.

Douglas Alexander: The Cabinet Office collects and publishes annually statistical information on the Civil Service by Department. These include data on the number of staff who have a declared disability.
	The latest information, at April 2004, is available in the Library of the House and also on the Civil Service website at the following addresses.
	http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/management information/statistical information/statistics/publications/xls/gender apr04 4nov04.xls
	http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/management information/statistical information/statistics/publications/xls/disability apr04 4nov04.xls
	The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) currently has 120 officers who have declared a disability.
	We are working in a variety of ways to improve the diversity of the FCO's staff, including increasing the number of officers with declared disabilities. These include a positive action workshop for disabled staff, guidance for all staff on disability and reasonable adjustments, monitoring of our promotion procedures, a Board disability champion, a disability advisory group and staff network, and the requirement for all staff to have diversity training and objectives.

Euro Group

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequerif he will make a statement on the legal status of reference to the development of ever-closer co-ordination of economic policies within the euro area in the protocol on the Euro Group of the EU Constitution.

Stephen Timms: I have been asked to reply.
	This reference forms part of the preamble to the protocol on the Euro Group: it therefore has no substantive legal effect, but contributes to the context for interpretation of the protocol. This protocol does not apply to the UK unless it decides to join the euro.

European Constitution

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list UK Government amendments proposed to the European Constitution that were rejected.

Denis MacShane: Formal amendments to the Convention's draft during the Intergovernmental Conference were proposed by the Italian and Irish Presidencies rather than individual member states. I refer the hon. Member to the reply my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary gave to the hon. Member for Wokingham (Mr. Redwood) on 7 July 2004, Official Report, column 767W, setting out the Government's position regarding these amendments.

European Union

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the categories of persons belonging to minorities are, referred to in Article 1–2 of the proposed EU Constitution.

Denis MacShane: Article 1–2 of the Constitutional Treaty refers, among other things, to "respect for human rights, including the rights of persons belonging to minorities". Whether a person belonged to a particular minority for these purposes would depend on the circumstances.

European Union

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his Department's understanding is of the term, open to all European states, in Article 1–1 of the proposed EU Constitution; and which states are included in this definition.

Denis MacShane: The section of Article 1–1 referred to should be read in its entirety. It reads "The Union shall be open to all European States which respect its values and are committed to promoting them together". This means that any European State may apply to join the Union and will be judged on the basis of whether it meets the stated requirements and against established criteria.
	There is no exact definition of a European State. The four countries in the European Free Trade Area (ie Norway, Iceland, Switzerland and Liechtenstein) are clearly European. The Feira European Council in 2000 agreed that as well as the then candidates (Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey), Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia and the Union of Serbia and Montenegro are considered potential candidates. No decisions have been taken on the eligibility of other countries.

European Union

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether (a) the Welsh Assembly, (b) the Northern Ireland Executive and (c) the Scottish Parliament constitute regional parliaments for the purposes of Article 6 of the second protocol to the proposed EU constitution.

Denis MacShane: Article 6 of Protocol 2 of the EU Constitutional Treaty states that "It will be for each national Parliament or each chamber of a national Parliament to consult, where appropriate, regional parliaments with legislative powers". In the Government's view, this suggests, in the United Kingdom, the National Assembly for Wales, the Scottish Parliament, and the Northern Ireland Assembly (not the Executive). However, Article 6 makes clear that the nature and extent of consultation on the principle of subsidiarity is for national Parliaments to decide. The House of Lords European Union Committee and the Select Committee on the Modernisation of the House of Commons are currently examining how the subsidiarity early warning mechanism should operate.

Indonesia

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs wwhat representations he has made to the Government of Indonesia regarding recent atrocities by the Indonesian military in Puncak Jaya, West Papua; and if he will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: We are aware of reports of human rights abuses in Puncak Jaya, Papua, Indonesia. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary's Special Adviser, Dr. Michael Williams, visited Indonesia as a ministerial envoy in December 2004. He met the President, the Foreign Minister and other senior members of the Indonesian Government. The situation in Papua was discussed during these meetings. The British Embassy in Jakarta has also discussed these allegations with people in the area. According to their reports, there have been some problems but the situation has now calmed down.
	The British Government welcome the high priority that the President of Indonesia, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, has attached to the resolution of conflict in Papua. We also welcome the Indonesian Foreign Minister's statement that their Government have endorsed a human rights plan of action covering the next five years.

Senior Staff (Women)

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many women there are in senior positions in his Department.

Douglas Alexander: The Cabinet Office collects and publishes annually statistical information on the civil service by Department. These include data on the number of women in senior positions in Departments.
	The latest information, at April 2004, is available in the Library of the House and also on the civil service website at the following addresses.
	http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/management information/statistical information/statistics/publications/xls/gender apr04 4nov04.xls.
	http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/management information/statistical information/statistics/publications/xls/disability apr04 4nov04.xls
	There are currently 69 women in senior positions in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
	The number of women in senior positions has continued to rise steadily over the last five years. We are working to ensure that this trend continues. We have in place a range of measures to promote greater gender diversity at senior levels, including positive action training for women, flexible working, monitoring of our promotion procedures, a board gender champion and gender advisory group, and the requirement for all staff to have diversity training and objectives.

Sri Lanka

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of Sri Lanka regarding (a) attacks against Sri Lankan Christians, with particular reference to recent attacks against (i) the Assemblies of God church in Yakkala and (ii) the Bethel Children's Home in Batticaloa and (b) the Sri Lankan Government's attempts to pass anti-conversion laws.

Denis MacShane: We have not made specific representations to the Government of Sri Lanka regarding these particular attacks. On the issue of proposed legislation against 'forced conversion', our position remains, as my right honourable Friend the Foreign Secretary told his Sri Lankan counterpart in July last year, that we do not believe legislation is appropriate in this area. Instead we see inter-religious and inter-community dialogue as the best way to promote tolerance and co-operation in Sri Lanka. We will continue to monitor the situation closely, to maintain our contacts with all religious denominations and to raise our concerns with government ministers both bilaterally and with our EU partners.

UK Embassies

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  whether it is his Department's policy to downsize the commercial departments of UK embassies in European countries; what plans he has to close individual commercial departments; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the effect of downsizing the commercial departments of UK embassies on the export potential of British business and industry;
	(3)  what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry about the future of commercial departments in UK embassies in Europe; and if he will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) supports businesses in the UK seeking to compete internationally. UKTI brings together the overseas resources of the FCO together with the Department for Trade and Industry. UKTI has strong partnerships with Regional Development Agencies in England, and with the Devolved Administrations.
	Commercial teams in British Embassies and Consulates are an integral part of UKTI's support for businesses. UKTI's settlement in the recent Spending Review requires it to move resources to support inward investment to the UK. UKTI is, at the same time, focussing resources overseas on markets where customer demand is highest and where Foreign and Commonwealth Office commercial teams make the greatest difference to UK businesses.
	On changes to UK embassies, I refer the hon. Member to the written statement made by my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary on 15 December 2004 (Official Report, columns 137–40WS).
	The UKTI corporate strategy underpins the development of its support for British business. The strategy can be found on UKTI's website at www.uktradeinvest gov.uk and has been placed in the Library of the House.

Child Trust Funds (Milton Keynes)

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many children are eligible for the Child Trust Fund in (a) Milton Keynes South West and (b) North East Milton Keynes.

Stephen Timms: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 30 November 2004, Official Report, columns 87–88W, to the hon. Member for Battersea (Martin Linton). There were 5,500 new births across Buckinghamshire in 2003.

Inflation

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the (a) retail price index, (b) RPIX and (c) CPI measures of inflation were in each financial year from 1996–97 to 2003–04 inclusive.

Stephen Timms: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mrs. Caroline Spelman, dated 17 January 2005
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what the Retail Prices Index (RPI), Retail Prices Index excluding mortgage interest payments (RPIX) and Consumer Prices Index (CPI) were in each financial year from 1996–97 to 2003–04 inclusive. (207953)
	The data requested is given in the attached table.
	
		RPI, RPIX and CPI financial year inflation rates (percentage) 11996–97 to 2003–04
		
			 Financial year RPI RPIX CPI 2 
		
		
			 1996–97 2.4 3.0 2.3 
			 1997–98 3.3 2.7 1.7 
			 1998–99 3.1 2.7 1.6 
			 1999–2000 1.6 2.2 1.2 
			 2000–01 2.9 2.0 0.9 
			 2001–02 1.5 2.3 1.3 
			 2002–03 2.1 2.3 1.3 
			 2003–04 2.8 2.7 1.3 
		
	
	(2) Financial year percentage changes are derived from financial year indices, which were computed using an average of monthly indices (April to March inclusive).
	(3) Official figures for the CPI index level are available from January 1996. CPI index levels prior to January 1996 are estimated, as described in O'Donoghue, J. (1998) 'Harmonised index of consumer prices: historical estimates', Economic Trends No.541, December 1998, www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/article.asp?ID=31
	Source:
	Office for National Statistics

Ovarian Cancer

Ian Gibson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the most recent figures are for survival rates for ovarian cancer in the UK.

Stephen Timms: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Dr. Ian Gibson, dated 17 January 2005
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question concerning the most recent figures for survival rates for ovarian cancer in the UK. (208363)
	Survival figures for the UK as a whole are not currently available. The latest available one- and five-year survival rates for ovarian cancer in England and Wales are for adult patients (aged 15–99 years) diagnosed during 1996–99 and followed up to 31 December 2001. These figures are given in the table below.
	
		
			  One- and five-year age-standardised(4) relative survival rates (Percentage) for adult patients (aged 15–99 years) diagnosed with ovarian cancer during 1996–99(5), England and Wales 
		
		
			 Number of patients(6) 20,177 
			 One-year Survival (Percentage) 65 
			 Five-year Survival (Percentage) 36 
		
	
	(4) As cancer survival varies with age at diagnosis, rates have been age standardised (directly age standardised to the 1986–90 cancer patients population) to control for changes in the age profile of cancer patients over time.
	(5) Complete five-year follow-up is currently only available for those diagnosed in 1996. For patients diagnosed in later years the most up-to-date estimates of shorter-term survival were used in this analysis of survival rates.
	(6) Eligible patients included in the survival analysis. The criteria for excluding patient records are given in Health Statistics Quarterly 2000; 6: 71–80, for example where the registration was of a second (different) primary cancer: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme health/HSQ6Book.pdf
	Source:
	Office for National Statistics.
	Available on the National Statistics website: http://www. statistics.gov.uk/statbase/ssdataset.asp?vlnk=7899
	The latest survival rates for ovarian cancer in Scotland are available on the Scottish Cancer Registry, Information and Statistics Division Scotland website:
	http://www.isdscotland.org/isd/info3.jsp?pContentID=1430&p applic=CCC&p service=Content.show&
	Figures for Northern Ireland are available on the Northern Ireland Cancer Registry website: http://www.qub.ac.uk/nicr/statspages/newtables/SurvivalStats/Ovary-Surv.html

Tax Credits

Simon Hughes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many cases of overpayment for child and working tax credit there have been for each of the last five calendar years in (a) North Southwark and Bermondsey, (b) Camberwell and Peckham and (c) Dulwich and West Norwood; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: For working tax credit and child tax credit, I refer the hon. Member to my reply on 15 November 2004, Official Report, columns 946–48W to the hon. Members for Northavon (Mr. Webb) and Yeovil (Mr. Laws).
	For working families' and disabled person's tax credits, I refer the hon. Member to my answer on 12 November 2003, Official Report, column 394W, to the hon. Member for Eddisbury (Mr. O'Brien).

Tax Returns

Vincent Cable: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the latest figures are for the take up of online submission of personal tax returns; and what steps he has taken to evaluate consumer satisfaction with the process.

Dawn Primarolo: The Inland Revenue received 1,011,183 returns electronically in the period 6 April 2004 to 7 January 2005. 787,978 were received via the internet service and 223,205 via the Electronic Lodgement Service.
	Users of the Revenues own online filing software are asked to provide feedback via an online survey. Current satisfaction rating is running at 91 per cent. with over 96 per cent. of users saying they will use the service again next year.
	In addition we have a rolling programme of research with taxpayers on their usage of our online services which will be extended to agents next year. We also continually monitor feedback based on calls received at our online services helpdesk.

Teenage Pregnancy

Simon Hughes: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the teenage pregnancy rate in North Southwark and Bermondsey was in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Simon Hughes, dated 17 January 2005
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking, what the teenage pregnancy rate in North Southwark and Bermondsey was in each year since 1997. (207899)
	The number of teenage conceptions that occurred in 2000 in North Southwark and Bermondsey Parliamentary Constituency was 122. Figures are not available by Parliamentary Constituencies for other years. Figures are available for each year to 2002 for local authority and health authority areas. These can be found on the Office for National Statistics at:
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme health/HSQ24.pdf
	http://www.statistics.gov.uk/CCI/nscl.asp?ID=7453
	Rates cannot be supplied for 2000, as population estimates by Parliamentary Constituencies are not available for that year.

Digital Broadcasting

Patrick McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the coverage is in England for digital television provided by the BBC.

Tessa Jowell: The vast majority of households in England can, with the appropriate equipment, receive the BBC digital services via either digital satellite, digital terrestrial or cable. However at least 20 per cent. of households can't currently receive the BBC services via digital terrestrial television; this figure cannot be increased before switchover.

Conferences

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many conferences were (a) attended by officials from her Department, (b) cancelled by and (c) facilitated by her Department in each year since 1997; and what the (i) cost to the Department and (ii) location was in each case.

Alun Michael: Conferences organised by the Communications Directorate of Defra in the last three years for which figures are available are as follows. The answer covers the time from the formation of the Department on the 8 June 2001 to 20 December 2004. Records of all conferences carried out by the Department are not held centrally and could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  £ 
			 Event name Cost 
		
		
			 2001  
			 Farm Business Recovery—July 2001, Scotch Corner 13,920 
			 Farm Business Recovery—July 2001, Oakhampton 13,860 
			 Farm Business Recovery—July 2001, Carlisle 14,095 
			 Farm Business Recovery—July 2001, Darlington 14,045 
			 Farm Business Recovery—August 2001, Carlisle 13,870 
			 Farm Business Recovery—August 2001, Hexham 14,045 
			 Farm Business Recovery—August 2001, Gloucester 13,860 
			 Farm Business Recovery—August 2001, Bishop Auckland 14,045 
			 Farm Business Recovery—August 2001, Penrith 13,870 
			 Farm Business Recovery—August 2001, Stafford 13,860 
			 Farm Business Recovery—August 2001, Bromsgrove 13,860 
			 Farm Business Recovery—August 2001, Barnstable 13,860 
			 Farm Business Recovery—August 2001, Broughtone 13,870 
			 Farm Business Recovery—August 2001, Hereford 14,170 
			 Farm Business Recovery—August 2001, Skipton 14,045 
			 Farm Business Recovery—August 2001, Carlisle 13,870 
			 Farm Business Recovery—August 2001, Penrith 13,870 
			 Farm Business Recovery—August 2001, Gisbum 13,870 
			 Farm Business Recovery—October 2001, Middlesbrough 14,045 
			 Waste Management Seminar—November 2001 13,131 
			   
			 2002  
			 Chemicals Stakeholder Forum—2002 4,690 
			 Rural Revival Seminar—June 2002 1,105 
			 SEAC Open Meeting—2002 37,255 
			 Defra Hunting Hearings (three days)—2002 18,143 
			 Eight Regional Events on Sustainable Food and Farming—2002 24,240 
			 Noise Forum Conference—2002 313 
			 Countryside Stewardship Campaign, 10th Anniversary Conference—2002 2,158 
			   
			 2003  
			 GMO (Genetically Modified Organisms) Foundation workshop—2003 78,500 
			 GMO Organised meetings (radio)—2003 5,000 
			 GMO Organised meetings (material)—2003 8,250 
			 GMO Organised meetings (facilitation)—2003 9,600 
			 GMO Organised meetings (launch)—2003 42,344 
			 GMO Reconvened focus groups—2003 55,000 
			 GMO Second tier meetings—2003 23,176 
			 Additional GMO launch meetings—2003 29,176 
			 Flood and Coastal Management Conference—2003 1,360 
			 E-nabling Defra Conference—2003 3,900 
			 England Bio-Diversity Conference—2003 900 
			 Information Management Division Open day—2003 1,405 
			 Better Buildings Summit—2003 26,325 
			 Animal Health and Welfare Stakeholder Event—2003 622 
			 Ethnic Minority Network Conference—2003 7,000 
			 Flood Management Conference—2003 2,022 
			 Rural Services Standard—2003 614 
			 Darwin Lecture—London 2003 1,050 
			 Growing Media Forum Seminar—2003 8,621 
			 Science and Innovation Open Meeting—2003 8,971 
			   
			 2004  
			 Eight Regional TB events—2004 52,000 
			 Sustainable Development Consultation Launch— London 2004 88,154 
			 Anti-Microbial Resistance Abattoir Survey Meeting— Weybridge 2004 Awaiting final reconciliation 
			 Regional Climate Change Conference—Buxton 2004 Awaiting final reconciliation 
			 Climate Change Review Launch—London 2004 Awaiting final reconciliation 
			 Chemical Consultation Review Launch—London 2004 3,220 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. No conferences were cancelled.
	2. The costs do not include the cost of departmental staff, details of which are not recorded against each conference.

Departmental Expenditure

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the running costs of the Department were in each year since 1997, broken down by (a) electricity, (b) water, (c) gas, (d) telephones, (e) mobile telephones and (f) televisions.

Alun Michael: The information shown in the table covers running costs for Defra from the time of its creation in 2001. It covers the central department (excluding Executive Agencies) and for utilities, only those buildings for which Defra has a contractual responsibility.
	
		
			£000 
			  2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 
		
		
			 (a) Electricity 1,190.2 920.8 979.0 
			 (b) Water 138.9 103.8 105.6 
			 (c) Gas 513.9 381.9 427.7 
			 (d) telephones 3,483.6 1,817.0 1,260.0 
			 (e) mobile telephones 2,527.5 755.2 473.1 
			 (f) televisions 1.6 1.9 0.9

E-mails

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on her Department's policy regarding the retention of e-mails in electronic form (a) after and (b) up to 1 January 2005; and what instructions have been given regarding the deletion of e-mails prior to 1 January 2005.

Alun Michael: E-mail messages that form part of the official record are saved for as long as business needs require and stored corporately in accordance with departmental record management procedures. Defra's guidance on email management emphasises the importance of capturing all significant email messages—this policy has not changed. Further e-mail guidance is available on the National Archives website at:http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/electronicrecords/advice/pdf/managing emails.pdf

Waste

Sue Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of commercial and industrial waste was biodegradable in the last period for which figures are available.

Elliot Morley: Estimates from the 1998–99 Environment Agency survey suggest that about 44 per cent. of industrial and commercial waste is paper, card or food. A further 22 per cent. is mixed waste of which an unknown proportion is biodegradable.Publication of more up to date survey data should take place later in the year.

Asylum Seekers

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the net current expenditure on asylum seekers by each local authority in (a) Scotland and (b) Wales has been in each year since 1996–97.

Des Browne: The information is not available in the precise format requested. There is no information available for financial years prior to 1999–2000. The Home Office assumed responsibility for the budget for asylum seekers on 1 April 1999.
	For Wales, The National Asylum Support Service (NASS) makes payments direct to each local authority responsible for supporting asylum seekers. Information is only available for the periods 6 December 1999–31 March 2000, 2000–01 and 2001–02 and this information is reproduced.
	For Scotland, in the years 1999–2000 to 2001–02, NASS made payments to the Scottish Executive who distributed the funding to local authorities in Scotland supporting asylum seekers. NASS does not have any information relating to expenditure incurred by Scottish local authorities.
	
		
			   £ 
			  6 December 1999 to 31 March 2000 1 April 2000 to 31 March 2001 1 April 2001 to 31 March 2002 
			 Local Authority Expenditure claimed Maximum claim Expenditure claimed Maximum claim Expenditure claimed Maximum claim 
		
		
			 Blaenau Gwent County — — 6,014.39 7,280.00 — — 
			 Bridgend County 1,844.00 1,680.00 — — — — 
			 Caerphllly County 10,946.21 13,819.02 35,659.12 43,680.00 23,413.05 22,770.00 
			 Cardiff 175,850.00 206,393.00 753,207.00 799,560.00 471,029.00 475,020.00 
			 Carmarthenshire — — — — — — 
			 Ceredigion CC — — 3,118.65 3,780.00 6,350.15 7,280.00 
			 Conwy CBC 1,200.00 2,240.00 2,925.00 5,460.00 — — 
			 Denbighshire County 1,300.00 1,300.00 5,276.83 7,280.00 1,007.21 1,240.00 
			 Flintshire 1,750.00 2,520.00 2,747.16 7,280.00 2,396.69 6,020.00 
			 Gwynedd — — 749.07 700.00 — — 
			 Isle of Anglesey CC — — — — — — 
			 Merthyr Tydfil County 1,220.65 2,380.00 3,269.17 6,300.00 — — 
			 Monmouthshire County 6,425.24 4,480.00 10,610.28 14,560.00 11,292.10 14,560.00 
			 Neath Port Talbot 1,685.81 2,380.00 8,186.10 14,560.00 5,740.15 7,280.00 
			 Newport County (South Wales) 30,721.36 27,871.73 167,784.43 160,400.00 159,494.42 179,370.00 
			 Pembrokeshire 6,923.53 6,923.53 32,295.00 34,339.20 10,226.56 12,320.00 
			 Powys CC — — — — — — 
			 Rhondda Cynon Taff County 16,713.36 14,041.00 50,635.77 56,860.00 31,424.00 39,740.00 
			 Swansea City and County 6,973.15 27,380.00 36,504.00 45,960.00 39,264.68 48,360.00 
			 Torfaen CBC — — — — — — 
			 Vale of Glamorgan 17,122.00 13,320.00 54,501.00 56,160.00 55,009.00 56,160.00 
			 Wrexham — — — — — — 
			 Total 280,675.31 326,728.28 1,173,482.97 1,264,159.20 816,647.01 870,120.00

Asylum Seekers

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seekers have been held at HMP Lewes in each month from January 2003 to date; and how many (a) had been convicted of an offence, (b) were on remand and (c) were otherwise held in each month.

Des Browne: holding answer 10 January 2005
	Details of the nationality or immigration status of a defendant proceeded against are not collected centrally on the Home Office Court Proceedings Database. Therefore it is not possible to say how many asylum seekers who have been convicted of an offence or were on remand are held at Her Majesty's Prison Lewes.
	Information on the number of persons who had claimed asylum at some stage and were detained at Her Majesty's Prison Lewes solely under Immigration Act powers, on the final Saturday of each quarter since January 2003 is shown in the table. Information on the total number of persons detained solely under Immigration Act powers in each month is not available.
	
		Persons recorded as being in detention in HMP Lewes solely under Immigration Act powers, who have applied for asylum at some stage(8)
		
			 As at given date Number of detainees 
		
		
			 29 March 2003 * 
			 28 June 2003 * 
			 27 September 2003 * 
			 27 December 2003 * 
			 27 March 2004 * 
			 28 June 2004 5 
			 25 September 2004 * 
		
	
	(8) Figures rounded to the nearest 5, with * = 1 or 2
	Work is ongoing to improve the quality of data held on those people detained under Immigration Act powers in Prison Service establishments.
	Information on persons detained solely under Immigration Act powers is published on the Home Office Research Development and Statistics Directorate website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1. html.

British Passports

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the number of British people without (a) a passport and (b) a driving licence in each year since 1997.

Des Browne: The table indicates, within a range, the number of people resident in Britain that do not hold a valid UK passport; and the population not holding a driver's licence.
	
		
			   Million 
			  (a) Resident population not holding passports (b) Population not holding a driving licence 
		
		
			 2004(9) 11.16–16.94 24.61 
			 2003 12.33–18.19 24.43 
			 2002 14.30–20.13 24.21 
			 2001 16.49–22.25 24.03 
			 2000 18.62–24.21 23.64 
			 1999 20.57–26.04 23.48 
			 1998 22.58–27.83 23.31 
			 1997 25.04–29.85 23.17 
		
	
	(9) 2004 passport figure calculated using figures up to November 2004.
	Sources:
	(a) UK Passport Service
	(b) DVLA

Initiatives (Funding)

Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what budget was allocated to the (a) Correctional Services Board, (b) National Offender Management Service, (c) Anti-Social Behaviour Action Group, (d) National Victims Advisory Panel, (e) Police Leadership Development Board, (f) National Asylum Support Forum, (g) Action Against Crime Business Group and (h) Sentencing Guidelines Council in each of the last two years; and how many staff each organisation employed in each year.

Paul Goggins: The information requested is as follows:
	(a) The Correctional Services Board ceased to exist following the creation of the National Offender Management Service on 1 June 2004. It did not have a dedicated full-time staff, the secretariat function being met by Correctional Services staff. The Board's budget of £70,000 in the financial year 2003–04 was for the expenses of its non-executive members.
	(b) The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) came into existence on 1 June 2004. The total budget for the elements that make up NOMS was £3.29 billion resource and £0.31 billion capital in April 2004. As the structure of NOMS has not been finalised it is not yet possible to give the number of staff employed.
	(c) The Anti-Social Behaviour Action Group had a budget of £25 million in the financial year 2003–04 and £24 million in 2004–05. On average, the Group employed 27 staff.
	(d) There was no formal budget allocation for the National Victims Advisory Panel in the financial year 2003–04, but £10,000 of its non-pay running costs was found from Home Office funds. There was a budget of £20,000 for 2004–05. The Panel does not have a dedicated secretariat. Four Home Office staff oversee the administration and running of the Panel, although this is only part of their work.
	(e) The Police Leadership Development Board (PLDB) was established in 2001 and is chaired by HM Inspector of Constabulary. It oversees a programme of work to promote and develop effective leadership across the police service, which is delivered by the Home Office, the police service and its training and development providers. It has no budget or staff. Programme costs are met by the Home Office.
	(f) The National Asylum Support Forum is a regular meeting at which representatives from key stakeholder groups discuss current and future issues in Asylum Support. Costs to the Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND) of contributing to not been finalised it is not yet possible to give the number of staff employed.
	(g) The Anti-Social Behaviour Action Group had a budget of £25 million in the financial year 2003–04 and £24 million in 2004–05. On average, the Group employed 27 staff.
	The Sentencing Guidelines Council was appointed in March 2004, and shares a secretariat with the Sentencing Advisory Panel. The budget for the Council and Panel in the financial year 2003–04 was £0.546 million and during that time the Secretariat increased from three staff to the current level of 14 staff to support the new body. The budget allocated to the Council and Panel in 2004–05 is £0.909 million.

"Awareness of Comprehensive Performance Assessment"

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will place in the Library a copy of the research study conducted by MORI for the Audit Commission entitled Awareness of Comprehensive Performance Assessment among the general public published in December 2002.

Nick Raynsford: MORI conducted the survey entitled 'Awareness of Comprehensive Performance Assessment among the general public' on behalf of the Audit Commission. I have asked the Chief Executive of the Audit Commission to write to the hon. Member. Copies of his letter will be made available in the Libraries of the House and will be printed in the Official Report.

Beacon Councils

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what central Government expenditure on the beacon council scheme was in each year since its creation.

Nick Raynsford: The beacon council scheme has been running since 1999 and is now in its sixth round. Estimated central Government expenditure on the previous five rounds is tabled as follows.
	
		
			  £ million 
			  Round 1 Round 2 Round 3 Round 4 Round 5 
		
		
			 Reward Grant 0.7 1.7 1.7 3 3 
			 Peer Support Grant 0 0 0 2 2 
			 Panel Costs 0.150 0.190 0.185 0.190 0.190 
			 Administration 0.150 0.250 0.230 0.240 0.235 
			 Total 1.0 2.14 2.115 5.43 5.425

Council Tax

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the average band (a) A, (b) B, (c) G and (d) H council tax bills were in England in (i) 1997–98 and (ii) 2004–05.

Nick Raynsford: The information requested is in the below.
	
		
			 £ 
			  Average area council tax (two adults) 
			 Financial year Band A Band B Band G Band H 
		
		
			 1997–98 459 535 1,147 1,376 
			 2004–05 778 907 1,945 2,333

District Auditing

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the cost of (a) district audit and (b) district auditors in England in the current financial year; and whether this is included in the Audit Commission's annual expenditure.

Nick Raynsford: This is an operational matter for the Audit Commission. I will ask the Chief Executive to write to the hon. Member. Copies of the letter will be made available in the Library of the House and will be printed in the Official Report.

Fire and Rescue Services

David Drew: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will publish in full the recent business case undertaken on behalf of his Department for proposals to abolish individual fire and rescue control centres.

Nick Raynsford: A copy of the draft outline business case is already available on the web. http://www. firecontrol.odpm.gov.uk/.

Gypsy/Traveller Sites

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the registered social landlords involved in providing and managing sites for gypsies and travellers in the West Midlands.

Keith Hill: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister does not maintain a listing of those registered social landlords (RSLs) that are involved in the provision and management of Gypsy and traveller sites.
	The Government have stated their intention to extend the permissible purposes of the Housing Corporation, which will allow RSLs to obtain funding for the development and management of Gypsy and traveller sites.

Homelessness (Swale)

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many homeless people in Swale have sought help from Swale borough council since 2001; and how many homeless people are accommodated by Swale borough council (a) within and (b) outside its boundary.

Yvette Cooper: Information collected about local authorities' actions under homelessness legislation is in respect of households, rather than persons. The total number of decisions reported by Swale borough council in respect of applications made by households during each year since 2000–01, and the number that were accepted as eligible for assistance, unintentionally homeless and in priority need are tabled below. Also shown are the number of homeless households in temporary accommodation arranged by Swale BC as at the end of March each year, both within and outside its own boundary. Data are also shown for the first two quarters of 2004–05.
	
		Homelessness activity(11) reported by Swale borough council
		
			  Decisions(12) made on homelessness applications Households in temporary accommodation arranged 3 by local authorities, as at end year (31 March) 
			   of which:  of which: 
			  Total Accepted Total inside district outside district 
		
		
			 2000–01 444 315 36 36 0 
			 2001–02 500 371 78 69 9 
			 2002–03 566 336 112 84 28 
			 2003–04 544 239 161 137 24 
			 2004–05 (April-September) 254 125 (14)172 (14)150 (14)22 
		
	
	(11) Under homelessness legislation
	(12) Decisions on applications from households eligible for assistance under the homelessness provisions of housing legislation. Excludes ineligible applications.
	(13) Households in accommodation either pending a decision on their homelessness application or awaiting re-allocation of a settled home following acceptance. Excludes those households designated as "homeless at home" that have remained in their existing accommodation and have the same rights to suitable alternative accommodation as those in accommodation arranged by the authority.
	(14) as at end September
	Source:
	ODPM P1E homelessness returns (quarterly)
	After being accepted as homeless, a household will be placed in some form of accommodation. They may be placed in temporary accommodation, until a settled solution becomes available, or they may be given a settled solution straight away depending on the accommodation available to the local authority. As an alternative to temporary accommodation an authority may arrange for a household to remain in their current accommodation (homeless at home), until a settled solution becomes available.
	Some of the households in temporary accommodation were being accommodated pending completion of enquiries into their application, or awaiting the outcome of an LA review/county court appeal against the authority's decision, or had been found intentionally homeless and subsequently were being accommodated for a reasonable period as permitted under legislation.
	Information is also collected, since 1998, on the number of people who sleep rough, that is, those who are literally roofless on a single night. Swale borough council reported no persons sleeping rough in their district.
	Quarterly Statistical Releases on statutory homelessness published by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister include information on decisions, and households in temporary accommodation, at local authority level in an associated Supplementary Table. The latest Release of, 13 December, and previous editions are available both in the Library of the House and via the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's website.

Regional Assemblies

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what criteria he takes into account when determining whether or not an elected regional assembly would be appropriate for a region.

Nick Raynsford: The reasons why the Government proposed that some regions would proceed to a referendum on establishing an elected assembly were set out in my right hon.. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister's statement to Parliament of 16 June 2003, Official Report, columns 21–23. The accompanying documentation—"Your Region, Your Say"—is available at: http://www.odpm.gov.uk/stellent/groups/odpm regions/documents/page/odpm regions 023485.hcsp
	Following the north east referendum, my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister informed Parliament on 8 November 2004, Official Report, columns 587–89, that the Government would not be introducing the Regional Assemblies Bill and would not be proceeding with referendums in Yorkshire and the Humber and the North West.

Regional Government Referendum

John Cryer: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  what guidance was issued to civil servants in his Department regarding their activities prior to and during the referendum on the North East Regional Assembly;
	(2)  what steps he took to ensure that information provided by his Department prior to the North East Regional Assembly referendum was politically neutral.

Nick Raynsford: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given in the Other Place by my right Hon. Friend the Noble Lord Rooker on 2 December 2004, Official Report, column 17WA. The guidance is also available on the Cabinet Office website at: http://www.cabinetoffice. gov.uk/propriety and ethics/publications/pdf/nerarg.pdf
	Information provided by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister in respect of the North East Regional Assembly referendum was prepared in accordance with the requirements of Guidance on the Work of the Government Information and Communication Service. These requirements can be seen at: http://www. cabinetoffice.gov.uk/propriety and ethics/civil service/government information service/index.asp

Right to Buy

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the effect of changes in the Right to Buy discounts and floors on take-up of the Right to Buy; and if he will make a statement.

Keith Hill: The School for Policy Studies, University of Bristol and the Centre for Urban and Regional Studies, University of Birmingham, carried out a thorough assessment of the impact of the changes to Right to Buy discounts that took effect in February 1999. Copies were placed in the Libraries of both Houses in May 2003. The report is also available on the website of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, at: http://www.odpm.gov.uk/stellent/groups/odpm housing/documents/page/odpm house 023293.hcsp
	In March 2003, the Government reduced the maximum Right to Buy discount available to tenants in 41 areas in London and the South of England that appeared to be under the greatest housing market pressure in terms of high levels of homelessness and high property prices. It is keeping under review the position on maximum discounts generally.

Shared Ownership Schemes

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what central Government funding has been provided to shared ownership schemes in England in each year since 1992.

Keith Hill: The information about what central Government funding has been provided to shared ownership schemes in England in each year since 1992 is being collated. I will write to the hon. Member with the relevant information and place a copy of the letter in the Library House once the information is collated.

Stolen Property

George Osborne: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs 
	(1)  if he will list the property belonging to his Department that has (a) been stolen and (b) been reported lost in each year since 1997, broken down by type of article;
	(2)  how many items of civil service property within his Department are unaccounted for, broken down by type.

David Lammy: The information requested is as in the following table.
	
		
			 Financial year Items stolen/lost by type of article 
		
		
			 1997–98  
			 Colour TV and file server 1 
			 Laptop 5 
			 PC mouse 2 
			 Pocket memo recorder 1 
			 TV/video 2 
			 Video recorder 3 
			   
			 1998–99  
			 Laptop 3 
			 Printer 1 
			 Printer cables 1 
			 Safe and laser printer 1 
			 Specialist phone 1 
			   
			 1999–2000  
			 Keyboard and Printer 1 
			 Laptop 1 
			 Mobile phone 1 
			 Payphone 1 
			 PC 2 
			   
			 2000–01  
			 Cashbox 1 
			 Laptop 1 
			 Mobile phone 2 
			 Tape recorder 1 
			   
			 2001–02  
			 Conference Phone 1 
			 Laptop 12 
			 Machines 1 
			 Mobile 1 
			 PC 1 
			 Server 1 
			 Telephone 1 
			   
			 2002–03  
			 Laptop 1 
			 Lost mobile phone 1 
			 PC 2 
			 Stolen camera 1 
			 Stolen computer 1 
			 Stolen Epsom printer 1 
			 Theft of CCTV camera 1 
			   
			 2003–04  
			 PC 2 
			 Laptop 1 
			   
			 2004–05 (to date)  
			 Laptop 2

Departmental Expenditure

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the cost of travel within the UK for the Department was in each year since 1997; and how much of this was spent on (a) hire cars, (b) helicopter hire, (c) hotel accommodation and (d) subsistence.

Maria Eagle: The information is not available in the format requested. The available information is in the table. DWP was formed in June 2001 from Department of Social Security (DSS) and parts of the former Department for Education and Employment, including the Employment Service. Information for the period prior to June 2001 refers to the former DSS.
	
		
			£ 
			  Hire cars Hotel accommodation Subsistence 
		
		
			 1997–1998 869,206 — 9,494,120 
			 1998–1999 1,231,625 — 10,325,573 
			 1999–2000 1,265,559 — 10,629,555 
			 2000–2001 1,670,054 — 16,364,631 
			 2001–2002 1,977,780 11,823,786 6,537,830 
			 2002–2003 1,820,212 12,945,939 4,447,904 
			 2003–2004 2,006,136 13,230,046 4,141,234 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Information provided includes travel costs for both Ministers and civil servants
	2. Separate information for hotel accommodation and subsistence costs is only available from 2001–2002. For previous years, hotel accommodation costs are included within subsistence costs.
	3. There were no costs for helicopter hire.
	4. All travel complied with the requirements of the Ministerial Code, Travel by Ministers and the Civil Service Management Code.

Departmental Expenditure

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many overseas trips, and at what total cost, have been made by his Department in each year since 1997; and what the costs of (a) flights, (b) internal travel, (c) hotel accommodation and (d) subsistence were of each trip.

Maria Eagle: The available information is in the tables.
	
		Overseas Travel for 2002–2003 £
		
			  Journeys/nights Cost 
		
		
			 Overseas air travel 736 600,572 
			 Overseas hotels 415 46,566 
			 Overseas rail travel 430 43,676 
			 Ferry travel 79 6,385 
			 Overseas Travel for 2003–04 
			 Overseas air travel 974 637,383 
			 Overseas hotels 554 53,274 
			 Overseas rail travel 625 57,061 
			 Ferry travel 272 26,105 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. The information provided includes travel by both Ministers and civil servants.
	2. Information is not available for the period prior to 2002–03 or for individual journeys.
	3. All travel complied with the requirements of the Ministerial Code, Travel by Ministers and the Civil Service Management Code.
	4. Information relating to overseas travel by Ministers is published on an annual basis. Information for the period 2 May 1997 to 31 March 2004 is in the Library. Information on the financial year 2004–05 will be published as soon as possible at the end of the current financial year.

Housing Executive

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much was spent in the (a) Coleraine and (b) Limavady borough council areas on structural maintenance by the Northern Ireland Housing Executive in 2004.

John Spellar: In the 2004 calendar year the amount spent on structural maintenance to Northern Ireland Housing Executive properties in the Coleraine and Limavady borough council areas was as follows:
	
		
			   £ 
			  External cyclic maintenance schemes Multi element improvement schemes 
		
		
			 Coleraine district 1,059,396 1,805,595 
			 Limavady district 577,492 1,137,693

Roads

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much was spent in the (a) Coleraine and (b) Limavady borough council areas on minor roads improvements by the roads service in 2004.

John Spellar: The chief executive of roads service (Dr. Malcolm McKibbin) has been asked to write to the hon. Member in response to this question.
	Letter from Dr. Malcolm McKibbin to Mr. Gregory Campbell, dated 17 January 2005
	You recently asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland a Parliamentary Question about expenditure on minor road improvements in the Coleraine and Limavady Borough Council area in 2004, I have been asked to reply as this issue falls within my responsibility as Chief Executive of Roads Service.
	The table below shows the expenditure incurred by Roads Service on minor road improvement schemes in these Council areas during 2004.
	
		Spend on Minor Road Works
		
			 Period Council area Spend 1 (£) 
		
		
			 1 January 2004 to 31 December 2004 Coleraine borough 900,000 
			 1 January 2004 to 31 December 2004 Limavady borough 300,000 
		
	
	(16) Figures provided have been rounded to the nearest £100,000
	Please note that these figures include spend on minor road works, collision remedial schemes, traffic calming, transportation measures and minor bridge strengthening.
	For your additional information, I would advise that the resources available for minor capital schemes are allocated to roads service's four divisions which, in turn, apportion this across district council areas on a needs-based priority approach using indicators such as population, weighted road lengths and the number of accidents. This ensures, so far as possible, an equitable distribution of funds across the country.
	I hope this information is helpful.

GPs (Southwark, North and Bermondsey)

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients there were for each general practitioner in Southwark, North and Bermondsey on the most recent recorded date; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		Average list size of unrestricted principals and equivalents (UPEs) 1 by PCT in London as at 30 September 2003 Number (headcount)
		
			   UPEs Patients of UPEs Average list size 
		
		
			 England  28,568 52,713,780 1,845 
			 London  4,134 8,357,783 2,022 
			 of which: 
			 Q07 South East London 880 1,706,031 1,939 
			 TAK Bexley Care Trust 110 220,748 2,007 
			 5A7 Bromley PCT 167 316,819 1,897 
			 5A8 Greenwich PCT 108 253,156 2,344 
			 5LD Lambeth PCT 189 353,962 1,873 
			 5LF Lewisham PCT 149 279,822 1,878 
			 5LE Southwark PCT 157 281,524 1,793 
		
	
	(22) UPEs include general medical service (CMS) unrestricted principals, personal medical service (PMS) contracted general practitioners and PMS salaried GPs.
	Note:
	Patient data has been revised from previously published figures
	Source:
	Department of Health QMS and PMS statistics.

Health Services (Hendon)

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many general practitioners were practising in Hendon at 31 December (a) 2004 and (b) 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: The information on general practitioner numbers held by primary care trust (PCT) is shown in the table.
	
		All practitioners (excluding retainers, registrars and locums) 1 for North Central London Strategic Health Authority (SHA) and Barnet PCT numbers (headcount)
		
			   1997 2001 December 2003 June 2004 
		
		
			 Q05 North Central London SHA 744 751 800 806 
			 5A9 Barnet PCT (24)— 202 211 230 
		
	
	(23) All practitioners (excluding registrars, retainers and locums) include general medical service (QMS) unrestricted principals, personal medical service (PMS) contracted GPs, PMS salaried GPs, restricted principals, assistants, salaried doctors (Para 52 SFA), PMS others, flexible career scheme GPs and GP returners.
	(24) Not applicable.
	Note:
	Data as at 30 September 2001–03, 31 December 2003 and 30 June 2004.
	Source:
	Department of Health QMS and PMS statistics.

Southwark Primary Care Trust

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many general practitioners there were in the Southwark Primary Care Trust area in (a) 2001–02, (b) 2002–03 and (c) 2003–04; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		All practitioners (excluding registrars, retainers and locums) 1 for Southwark Primary Care Trust, 2001-June 2004
		
			 5LE Numbers (headcount) 
		
		
			 Southwark PCT  
			 2001 145 
			 2002 142 
			 2003 159 
			 June 2004 170 
		
	
	(25) All practitioners (excluding registrars, retainers and locums) include general medical service (GMS) unrestricted principals, personal medical service (PMS) contracted GPs, PMS salaried GPs, restricted principals, assistants, salaried doctors (Para 52 SFA), PMS others, flexible career scheme GPs and GP returners.
	Data as at 30 September 2001–03 and 30 June 2004.
	Source:
	Department of Health GMS and PMS statistics.

Sunderland Royal Hospital

John Cummings: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the provision of orthodontic surgeons at the Sunderland Royal hospital; and what plans he has to increase their numbers.

John Hutton: This is a matter for the Chair of City Hospitals Sunderland National Health Service Foundation Trust. I have written to Mr. David Graham, Chair, informing him of your inquiry.

Children and Family Courts Advisory Service

Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what budget has been allocated to the Children and Family Courts Advisory Service in each of the last two years; and how many staff have been employed by the Service in each of the last two years.

Margaret Hodge: The budget for CAFCASS has increased steadily since its formation in April 2001.
	CAFCASS's budget allocation in 2002–03 was £84.5 million (on a cash basis and including £4 million unspent from 2001–02). The baseline budget for 2003–04 was £95 million. In addition, £2.5 million was provided to help with the transition from cash to resource accounting.
	The total cost for the running of CAFCASS in the financial year 2003–04 was £99 million.
	The budget allocation for 2004–05 is £107 million, representing an increase of £12 million over the baseline budget.
	The total numbers of staff (full-time and part-time) employed at 1 April 2003 and 1 April 2004 were as follows:
	
		1 April 2003
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 Full time 1,306 
			 Part time 578 
			 Total staff 1,884 
		
	
	In addition, there were 406 self-employed CAFCASS practitioners on 1 April 2003.
	
		1 April 2004
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 Full time 1,360 
			 Part time 558 
			 Total staff 1,918 
		
	
	In addition, there were 441 self-employed CAFCASS practitioners on 1 April 2004.
	Note
	The discrepancy between the total figures given here (1,884 and 1,918) and those quoted in the CAFCASS 2003–04 Annual Report (1,879 and 1,932) is because CAFCASS subsequently undertook a data cleansing exercise of its management information systems and redefined the criteria used for employed staff. Furthermore, CAFCASS had included Board members and agency staff in its historical data.

Departmental Expenditure

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the cost of refurbishments in her Department was in each year since 1997; and what the planned expenditure is for 2005–06.

Stephen Twigg: The cost of refurbishments carried out in my Department in each year since 1997 is as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 1997–98 (26)— 
			 1998–99 2,970,093 
			 1999–2000 3,928,406 
			 2000–01 4,604,749 
			 2001–02 3,683,494 
			 2002–03 5,290,833 
			 2003–04 3,384,202 
		
	
	(26) his information can only be provided at disproportionate costs.
	The estimated outturn for 2004–05 is £1,500,000 and the planned expenditure for 2005–06 is not known at this present time.

Departmental Mobile Phones

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many departmental mobile telephones were used by Ministers, special advisers and officials in his Department and its predecessors in each year since 1997; at what cost; how many such telephones were lost or stolen in each year since 1997; and what the replacement costs were in each case.

Derek Twigg: holding answer 6 December 2004
	The total number of mobile phones in use at December 2004 was 1,140. Information on the number of mobiles in use in any given year, as opposed to the number purchased in each year, could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	The information on use of mobile phones by Ministers, special advisers and officials on a year by year basis could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	The replacement cost of mobile phones lost and stolen has been calculated at current prices and the total cost of mobile services is given for each year.
	
		
			£ 
			  Lost/stolen Replacement cost Total cost 
		
		
			 1997–98 1 204.45 170,045.78 
			 1998–99 0 0 168,298.72 
			 1999–2000 1 204.45 218,889.09 
			 2000–01 3 613.35 329,196.99 
			 2001–02 3 613.35 374,248.87 
			 2002–03 4 817.80 353,955.78 
			 2003–04 9 1840.05 270,547.63 
			 2004–05 7 1431.15 —

Entertainment Costs

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much has been spent on entertainment by his Department in each year since 1997, broken down by (a) food, (b) alcohol, (c) staff and (d) accommodation.

Stephen Twigg: All expenditure on official entertainment is made in accordance with departmental guidance on financial procedures and propriety, based on the principles set out in Government Accounting. The following table sets out such spending in £ thousand for DfES and its predecessor Department in the relevant years. It is not possible to split these figures into the elements requested. The figures exclude costs incurred as part of official events or formal meetings held to further departmental business.
	
		
			   £000 
			  Department for Education and Employment Department for Education and Skills 
		
		
			 1996–97 24 — 
			 1997–98 21 — 
			 1998–99 31 — 
			 1999–2000 21 — 
			 2000–01 20 — 
			 2001–02 — 11 
			 2002–03 — 16 
			 2003–04 — 20

Funding

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list the total central Government funding per pupil for each local education authority in England from 1996–97 to 2004–05 calculated on the basis used for the figures provided to the hon. Member for Mid-Worcestershire on 9 November 2004; if she will provide average figures for (a) the shire counties and (b) England for each of these years on the same basis; and if she will provide estimated figures for 2005–06 on the same basis.

Stephen Twigg: The figures provided to the hon. Member on 9 November were for the years 2003–04 and 2004–05 in cash terms and included the pensions transfer to Education Formula Spending and the Learning and Skills Council in 2003–04.
	A set of tables for all LEAs which give both the real terms series for 1997–98 to 2004–05, and a cash terms series with no adjustment for the pensions transfer for the same time period, has been placed in the Library.
	When providing a series of funding figures we would usually supply real terms figures and exclude the pensions transfer to EPS and the LSC to give the most meaningful comparison to years before the transfer occurred. We do not have comparable figures for the year 1996–97, nor do we yet have estimated figures for 2005–06.
	Average figures for the shire counties and for England on these bases are given as follows:
	
		Average funding per pupil aged 3–19
		
			 £ 
			  Real terms, excluding pensions transfer to EPS and LSC in 2003–04 and 2004–05 Cash terms, including the pensions transfer to EPS and LSC in 2003–04 and 2004–05 
			  Shire counties England Shire counties England 
		
		
			 1997–98 2,780 2,900 2,400 2,510 
			 1998–99 2,820 2,950 2,500 2,620 
			 1999–2000 2,920 3,080 2,650 2,800 
			 2000–01 3,150 3,330 2,890 3,060 
			 2001–02 3,290 3,490 3,100 3,280 
			 2002–03 3,370 3,580 3,280 3,490 
			 2003–04 3,480 3,710 3,550 3,790 
			 2004–05 3,610 3,850 3,770 4,020 
		
	
	Note:
	The figures given are total funding per pupil aged 3–19 via education formula spending/standard spending assessment and grants allocated at an LEA level. EFS/SSA are part of the wider local government system and are supported by council tax.

GCSE grades

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what the percentage change was between 1997 and 2004 for the number of young people in the Leyton and Wanstead constituency achieving five or more GCSEs at grades A* to C;
	(2)  what the percentage change between 1997 and 2004 was for young people achieving five or more GCSEs at grades A* to C.

Stephen Twigg: The following table shows the proportion of pupils achieving five or more grades A* to C at GCSE and equivalent from 1997 to 2004 and the percentage point change for (a) Leyton and Wanstead constituency and (b) England:
	
		Percentage of 15 year old pupils(27) achieving five or more grades A* to C at GCSE and equivalent 2 Percentage
		
			  1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 Percentage point improvement 1997–2004 
		
		
			 Leyton and Wanstead 35.7 35.0 38.4 40.2 41.7 44.1 46.3 46.1 10.4 
			 England 45.1 46.3 47.9 49.2 50.0 51.6 52.9 53.7 8.6 
		
	
	(27) As standard the results reported relate to pupils aged 15 at the start of the academic year i.e. 31 August and therefore reaching the end of compulsory education at the end of the school year.
	(28) For 2004 only results incorporate GCSEs, GNVQs and a wide range of other qualifications approved pre-16. Prior to 2004 results are based on GCSEs and GNVQs only.